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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29948568">are there still beautiful things</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/asmileyoucouldbottle/pseuds/asmileyoucouldbottle'>asmileyoucouldbottle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(sw is involved in illegal drug stuff and it's mentioned but not rlly discussed), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Latina Catra (She-Ra), References to Drugs, Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner's A+ Parenting, Song: seven (Taylor Swift), Songfic, catra speaks spanish :), catradora, listening to the song though &gt;&gt;&gt;, soft, songfic but can def be read as a normal fic, this song makes me so emotional thinking about them like UGH</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:28:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,451</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29948568</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/asmileyoucouldbottle/pseuds/asmileyoucouldbottle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"your braids make a pattern<br/>love you to the moon and to saturn<br/>passed down like folk songs<br/>the love lasts so long"</p><p>adora finds and comforts catra after shadow weaver lashes out. based on the song seven by taylor swift (although can be read without listening to the song / just as a childhood fic)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora &amp; Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>are there still beautiful things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Catra?” Adora peered under the bed, her ponytail swishing in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, besides dust balls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nose itching, she scooted back and turned to the closet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Catra? Are you in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A muffled shuffle was all the confirmation Adora needed, so she slipped inside. Pushing back a rack of coats, Adora saw a dark figure huddled in the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go away.” The lump shifted, and a blue eye peeked out from under the blanket. Adora dropped to her knees and crawled, tugging on the hem. The eye appeared again, a trail of tears following. Catra made a hissing noise and cowered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heart twisting, Adora plopped down next to her friend. She attempted to touch her friend’s shoulder reassuringly, but Catra startled and pushed her defensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oof.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adora, none too graceful, toppled over with a rustling of fabric. Pushing up back to sitting, she tried again, aching to help her friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry about Mrs. Weaver, it’s not your fault! She’s just…” Adora thought of the scary woman they lived with, whose fridge was always filled with glittering bottles and who’s doorstep always had scary men with eerie green and red eyes lurking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today, they’d been playing a spy game. It had originally been boring, with Mrs Weaver sitting on the couch with a plastic wine glass like always. “I was always too good for them.”  She mused, sipping while staring at a photo she kept in her dresser. “The Guild” it read. (Adora didn’t know what that word meant, but it must be bad, since Mrs. Weaver was angry about it.) Then the phone rang and she sighed before picking it up to talk about “funneling funds” and “opioid prices” (whatever those were.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They played this game a lot when they ran out of things to do, and Adora had heard these words before. But this time, Mrs. Weaver caught Catra lurking by the door with Adora.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Insolent child!” She’d shrieked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora knew what insolent meant. Her teacher, Miss Mara, had told her a few weeks ago. When Miss Mara told her what it meant, “to be rude or have a lack of respect,” Adora shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that doesn’t make sense, Catra wasn’t being insolent, she was just hungry because Mrs. Weaver made her skip breakfast and lunch, and I gave her some of mine.” Wrinkling her nose in confusion, she’s looked up in the wide eyes of her teacher. “Do you think that makes Catra insolent?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miss Mara immediately reassured her that no, Catra wasn’t insolent, which made Adora smile a little bit. She knew it! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shadow Weaver had visited the principal, Ms. Angella, that night and was especially angry when she got home. Catra didn’t get any food outside of Adora for two days, and she had to wear long sleeve shirts to cover the mark on her arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora vowed to never ask Miss Mara what a word meant ever again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra sniffled, and Adora had a sudden idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning around, Adora shifted through the bin next to the door. It was full of fancy hats that Mrs. Weaver sometimes wore and the girls loved to play with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Putting on a brown one with a bird on her own head, Adora held out the fanciest of them all- a flamboyant feathered hat. It looked just like the one that Captain Hook wore in Peter Pan. (One of Adora’s favorite movies. She liked to daydream about flying off to Neverland with Catra and becoming a lost boy.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arr?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra poked her head out from the blanket, and Adora smiled wide, her missing teeth on full display. Catra loved to tease her about her tooth gap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Catra, a princess needs our help.” Adora whispered, her voice hushed and solemn. She’d learned long ago that them working together to save the princess was always better than one of them pretending to be a princess in need of saving. Even if Catra was pretty in the pink Sleeping Beauty dress Adora got for Halloween last year. She’d wanted to be Prince Philip, because he got a sword and fought the dragon, but Mrs. Weaver said that girls should be princesses, not princes. Catra had worn her homemade cat costume for the third year in a row, and said that she was one of Adora’s “loyal woodland creatures.” The dress was very good for dressing up dolls to be the damsel in distress though!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t the princess stay saved for one day.” Catra grumbled, and Adora frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it’s Jasmine, I know you think she’s the prettiest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra hesitated. “But Jasmine’s too smart to be caught.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not if the person catching her is Hans! He’s really smart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra looked at her skeptically. “But he’s not in Aladdin, duh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we can make him be in Aladdin!” Adora countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was unimpressed. “That’s not how it works, dummy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Catra seemed to be contemplating as she wiped away a tear. Sensing her shot, Adora added, “You can be the captain this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal.” Catra snatched the hat, setting in on her head with lightning speed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heavy footsteps thundered past the closet, and Adora ducked down. Catra reached and grabbed her hand, fear reflecting in her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora squeezed tightly, thinking about the imaginary sword in her hand, just like the one Philip carried in Sleeping Beauty. If Mrs. Weaver came in and raised a hand to Catra, she would jump up to protect her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra’s hand trembled as the footsteps stopped right outside the door. Mrs. Weaver was murmuring to herself, and Adora held her breath to count. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>One, two, three-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was violently shaking, so Adora forced herself out of her frozen position to shift closer. Wrapping her free arm around Catra, the smaller girl tucked her head under Adora’s chin. Shadow Weaver couldn’t reach her here in Adora’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fourteen, fifteen… </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adora stopped for a second, having forgotten what came after fifteen.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sixteen!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Mrs. Weaver made an angry sound of frustration, and Adora and Catra both jumped. Holding Catra tighter, she leaned into her comfort as well. Catra’s heartbeat was fast and loud, so she started to count that instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she got to twenty-one, Mrs. Weaver’s footsteps started again, this time fading as she walked out of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she was gone, Adora turned to face Catra completely, burying herself in a hug. Catra sobbed, so Adora rocked a tiny  bit as she hugged her tightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One day, you and I are going to move far away, and we’ll never see her again.” Adora swore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Move where?” Catra asked, voice thick with tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Adora thought of class, where they were learning about Asia. Then tried to think of somewhere far, far away. “India!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we don’t know anyone in India.” Catra pointed out, sniffling. Adora shrugged, “Well, we don’t need anyone but us anyway.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if we go to Puerto Rico? Maybe we can find someone who knew Mam</span>
  <span>i!” Adora knew Catra spoke about the place she was born, she stopped in thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t everyone speak Spanish there?” Adora only knew a tiny bit, since Mrs. Weaver forbade Catra from teaching her anymore or speaking it around the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll teach you, dummy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora’s brow furrowed. “But didn’t Mrs. Weaver say no?” She echoed doubtfully. She didn’t want Catra to get in trouble again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She won’t be able to tell us what to do, because we will be gone, remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perking up, Adora replied, “You’re right!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could see it. Them, leaving this horrible house in the dust as they went to Puerto Rico. Moving in together, Catra speaking Spanish without someone getting mad, laughing and talking loudly whenever they wanted, both of them eating dinner every night, and no more yelling. “I promise, we’re going to make a home one day, just the two of us. No Shadow Weaver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra looked up, holding out her pinkie in a familiar gesture. “Promise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora locked pinkies with her, warmth seeping through her. “Promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra snuggled closer and pulled the blanket around Adora, who’s heart fluttered a tiny bit. Quietly, Catra began to hum a lullaby she’d loved as long as Adora had known her. It was spanish, and Catra said that it made her calm and happy when her Mami used to sing it to her, so she sang it to Adora whenever she was sad.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“A dormir, a dormir, a dormir mi bebito…” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Catra whisper sung. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Que tus sueños sean siempre.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Her voice steadied as she went on, and Adora yawned. Pirates could wait. Tugging Catra down with her, they curled up together. Catra continued to sing beside Adora as they drifted off together, pinkies entwined and hearts beating a steady rhythm once more. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm now going to share the verse of this song i'll never be done screaming abt in relation to them-</p><p>"And I've been meaning to tell you<br/>I think your house is haunted<br/>Your dad is always mad and that must be why<br/>I think you should come live with me<br/>And we can be pirates<br/>Then you won't have to cry<br/>Or hide in the closet<br/>And just like a folk song<br/>Our love will be passed on"</p><p>okay that is all thank you for your time. go listen to the song now or else &lt;3 (also as always comments and kudos make me very happy so pls consider leaving some ty!!)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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